Seperated At Birth
by Tikisomia
Summary: The Emperor and his wife only have sons. They ask Fa Zhou for help. Fa Zhou and his wife agree and they have twin girls. They give one to the Emperor. Grown, both girls fall for Shang, a general's son, and compete for him. Which twin will Shang chose?
1. Chapter 1

**This Fanfic was requested by BellaVision who sent me the plotline of this fanfic. **

Chapter 1

"Emperor! Jia Ren is about to give birth!" The Emperor looks up from his scrolls that are laid out on his desk.

"Is the Midwife with her?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. She said that everything is going well, Her Excellency is calling out for her dearest friend, Fa Li." The servant girl remains slightly bowed as she delivers this news to The Emperor.

"I see." The Emperor pauses, goes to his table and writes on a scroll. Finished, he hands it to her and says. "Have a messenger sent to the Fa family and give this to Fa Zhou." The servant girl bows and exists the room, being careful not to turn her back to the Emperor. The Emperor sighs, stands up, and exits the room.

…

"Ancestors, you have blessed me with many sons to carry on the family name. Yet, I have no daughter to cherish. Please bless me and my wife with a daughter this time and protect my wife from childbearing problems." The Emperor, knelling, bows and remains bowed in front of his ancestor's burial markers.

…

"Fa Zhou, a messenger from the Emperor!" Fa Zhou motions for his servant to let the messenger in. The messenger enters, bows, and holds out a scroll with both hands. Fa Zhou, stands up, walks over to the servant, and takes the scroll.

"Go. Have a rest before you return." Fa Zhou motions for his servant to take messenger to another room to rest. Once they are gone, Fa Zhou opens the scroll and reads it.

_My dear friend Fa Zhou, It is with great joy that I write to you. We are to be blessed with another child this day. I write for you, not yet for celebration, but for a more selfish reason. My wife is anxious and has been uneasy these past few days and in the midst of her bringing forth another child; cries without ceasing for your wife Fa Li. It would be most comforting for her if Fa Li could be there with her as soon as possible. Come as soon as you can._

_Signed,_

_The Emperor_

…

"Emperor. The Fa family has arrived." The Emperor stands up, bows again to his ancestor's burial markers, and turns around.

"Show them to my study."

…

"Emperor?" The Emperor turns around from looking at a painting hanging in his study.

"Fa Zhou. Fa Li. Thank you for coming." The Emperor turns to Fa Li. "Fa Li. My wife has been calling for you nonstop. Would you see to her as her friend?" Fa Li bows and a servant leads her away. "Fa Zhou, my friend. We have much to talk about. Come. Sit."

…

Moaning in pain, the Empress cries out. "Fa Li! Fa Li!" The Midwife tries to comfort her without succeeding.

"The Emperor has already sent for Fa Li. Now, concentrate and see if we can welcome Fa Li with a baby before she gets here. Huh?" Still the Empress cries for Fa Li.

…

"In here Madam Fa."

"Thank you." La Li enters the room and the Midwife looks up and then looks back at the Empress.

"Madam Fa is here." The Empress looks up and sees her friend standing in the doorway.

"Fa Li?" Fa Li enters the room fully, kneels down. And grasps her friend's hand.

"Jia Ren. I'm here now." The Empress nods and cries out as another spasm of pain shoots through her body. "I'm here with you my friend. Let's bring this life into this world, alright?" Jia Ren looks up at Fa Li and gives a nod.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Emperor and Fa Zhou are talking when a knock interrupts their conversation. The Emperor excuses himself and he personally goes to the door and opens it. A servant bows. "I bring news Your Excellency."

"Yes?"

"The Empress has given birth to a healthy son." The Emperor nods and dismisses the servant. The servant closes the door and the Emperor turns around.

"A son! Congratulations my friend!" The Emperor faintly smiles and returns to his seat.

"A son is a blessing indeed, but a daughter would be a priceless treasure." The Emperor sits down and sighs. Fa Zhou gives the Emperor a puzzled look.

"But the family name is passed down through sons, not daughters. You can only hope that she will be matched to a good man who will fed, clothe, and not beat her." The Emperor reaches out for his tea.

"That maybe. But a royal daughter is different. She is cherished, almost as much as a son. A son inherits the throne and kingdom. Of which I have three. A daughter can unite two countries and bring even more honor upon her family. A daughter, I do not have."

…

"Jia Ren! He's so beautiful! What are you going to call him?" Jia Ren smiles at her friend.

"My husband was so sure they baby was going to be a girl…that he only picked girl names." The two women chuckle and afterwards, Jia Ren sighs. "It would be nice to have a girl…not that I'm complaining, but…please don't tell this to anyone…but we have been advised to not have anymore children after this one." Fa Li nods.

…

"In short. The doctors have strongly advised us to not have anymore children." Fa Zhou nods and makes a suggestion.

"You could always take in a girl and raise her as your own. As you know, not many people want girls…they want sons to carry on the family name and to work." The Emperor looks at him.

"I have considered that already…but it would only be possible if plans were made extremely carefully.

…

[1 Year later]

_Dear Emperor, I am writing you so you may celebrate with us. Fa Li's pregnancy doing well and we are going to finally be parents! However, I feel a much heaver weight of responsibility upon my shoulders as the economy is not what it was a year ago. Concerning this, and some other things of which I would like to talk to you about in person. I was hoping that you and I could talk and you could give me some advise on what I should do. _

_Signed, _

_Fa Zhou._

…

"We know that you will take better care of Hua Ping then we could ever." Fa Li sniffs as she hands her baby over to Jia Ren.

"I know you will love and cherish her, perhaps even more then I might have been able to." The Emperor looks at the Fa family.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart my friends. You have given my wife and I a priceless gift." The Emperor looks at the baby that Fa Zhou is holding. "They can never meet you know." Both Fa Zhou and Fa Li nod and the Emperor continues. "But there is no reason why, from time to time, you can still visit us and see your daughter." Both Fa Zhou and Fa Li bow and thank him. Fa Zhou stands straight.

"We must get going, if it pleases you my friend. I would like to get home before dark." The Emperor gives his consent, and the Fa family leave Hua Ping with the Emperor and take Fa Mulan (Hua Ping's identical twin) home with them. After they leave, the Emperor takes Hua Ping from Jia Ren and holds her.

"From this day on, you will no longer be Hua Ping, you will now be called Ping Yi."

**Thank you for showing such interest in this!**

**BTW…please comment on this as I like to know what I can improve on and what you guys like! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Fa Zhou stares at Mulan. "Mulan!" Mulan whirls around and her happy four-year-old smile disappears at the look on her father's face. A calligraphy brush quietly clatters to the floor, splattering black ink, momentarily staining the floor in splotches. Fa Zhou disappointedly shakes his head and walks inside the ancestral building. When he is within a few steps of where Mulan is kneeling, he notices something is different. His eyes widen and Fa Zhou's mouth drops open. Immediately, he drops to his knees and bows before the ancestor's stones. Mulan stands up, frightened at her father's action and her eyes widen when she hears him speak. "Ancestors, please forgive Mulan for her rashness. She is young and does not yet understand the sacredness of this place." Finished, Fa Zhou gets up and looks at Mulan. Seeing the disappointment in her father's eyes, Mulan looks down at her feet which have started to shift on their own. She hears her father sigh and she bows her head even more lowered. Fa Zhou steps towards Mulan and stops when he finally reaches her. Mulan sees her father's shoes not far from her own bare feet. She then sees her father's hand stretch out into her line of vision. She glances up at her father and lowers her face in shame and takes his hand. Fa Zhou and Mulan walk out of the building. As they pass one of their workers Fa Zhou speaks. "Would you be so kind as to clean the stones of the ancestors. Mulan was practicing her writing." The worker nods and as he goes to do what he was as to do, Fa Zhou adds. "You will need some special cleaning supplies as that kind of ink is hard to clean up." The worker bows and rushes off.

…

"MULAN!" Mulan peeks out from behind a post at her very uncharacteristically upset mother. "MULAN!" Mulan waits until her mother's back is to her and bolts for the backyard.

"Fa Li? Why are you yelling for Mulan so loudly?" Fa Li turns around and sees her husband walking towards her. Fa Li motions for her husband to come and see.

"Just look at this mess! I just cleaned the entire kitchen before we left. Now look at it! We were only gone for a week! She is 10 this year. She should be able to take care of the house for that long." Fa Zhou gently pats his wife's shoulder.

"We have always known that Mulan was the clumsy one…" Fa Zhou looks around. "…lets go inside." He gives Fa Li a look and she nods. Inside the house, they can talk freely without fear of Mulan overhearing. "As I was saying, we have always known that Mulan was the clumsy one, that is why we gave Ping YI to The Emperor and The Empress." Fa Li sighs.

"I know, I know…ever since Mulan and Ping Yi were born. Ping Yi showed grace in everything and Mulan...she was not exactly clumsy, she was…uncoordinated. Ping Li has always been ahead in everything that everyone goes through. But last I checked, Mulan was not clumsy in the head. No matter how clumsy a person is, they should know how to take care of a house even before they are 10."

…

Mulan is playing down by the stream in the backyard when a single pink petal falls down and disturbs the water. Fascinated, Mulan stops her play and scoots closer to the bank of the stream. Another petal falls and lands right next to the bank. Mulan looks up and sees the tree full of pink blossoms swaying gently in the soft breeze. She stands up, still looking up. After a moment, Mulan glances at the stone bench and walks towards it. She steps on it and is just able to reach a few branches. Using nothing but her hands, she carefully picks off several blossoms, jumps down, and runs into the house to give the bouquet to her mother.

**I'm sorry it is taking me so long to post this story. I am really really really busy with school and the college search (although I already have all my applications in YES!). Anyway, I hope you guys understand, I will not give up on this (I committed myself to finishing it when I posted the first chapter). Again I apologize for the long wait. Please continue to support me and please leave comments!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Have you ever seen a more beautiful girl than the princess?"

"No, it was completely worth it to go the prince's wedding." Mulan looks behind her shoulder at the two younger men walking by. _Almost everybody is talking about the wedding of the elder son of the Emperor…I wish I could have gone… _Her thoughts are interrupted by a loud clearing of a throat. Mulan turns back around and sees the disapproving look on the lady boss's face.

"Fa Mulan! Don't you know that it is extremely un-lady-like to stare at men?" Mulan grimaces and continues with her buying of chicken eggs while the woman scolds her for her disrespectfulness.

_Finally I'm done running this stupid egg-buying errand. _Mulan turns around and accidentally steps on the train of a passing woman's dress causing the woman to stumble and Mulan to over react. Mulan trips and falls down backwards into several baskets of chicken eggs.

…

"I am so sorry Madam Li. I hope this will compensate for your loss." Fa Zhou hands over a pouch that has some coins in it to the egg selling lady. She mumbles and mutters as she accepts it. Fa Zhou

…

Slowly, Mulan stretches herself and slowly moves her arms and body in a form of tai-chi that she had learned from watching her father daily. _Why is it that I can practice tai chi with all the grace in the world…yet I cannot even buy eggs without causing trouble? _Mulan continues to practice the little she knows in secrete in her room. _If either of my moms found out I was doing this…_ A creak and a footfall catch her ears and she quickly hops into bed and pulls the curtains over her head. Fa Li opens the door and quietly slips into Mulan's room. Quietly walking in, Fa Li places a package on Mulan's bedside table and looks down at her daughter. After awhile, Fa Li leaves Mulan's room and closes the door. Mulan gets up and picks up the package. Opening it, Mulan gasps. She takes out a loose garment and shakes it out. _Is this…IT IS! _Mulan holds it out and the holds it against herself. After admiring the garment, Mulan folds it almost reverently and lays it inside her clothes chest. She closes the lid and lays back down on her bed. _Tomorrow is going to be exciting!_ With that though in her mind, Mulan falls asleep.

**First of, I'm on hiatus on this story a lot as I kinda have to write in a stiffer tone. Secondly, my computer had to be completely wiped clean as it had been infected and I hadn't been able to use it for anything for almost two straight weeks. Thirdly, this story is not flowing as well as I had thought it would, even though ****BellaVision gave me a plot line…so please bare with the ridiculously short chapters and the long waiting period. I will try to do better on the next chapter…but I can't make any promises on when or how soon anything will be posted. Thank you so much for your understanding. Comments welcome and anticipated! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Oof." A crowd cheers as the winner stands up and the loser drags himself to his feet. They bow to each other and walk away.

"Shang!" The guy who won turns around and sees a fellow solder running towards him.

"What is it?" The guy gasps and holds out a scroll to Shang. He takes it, opens it, and his eyes open wide. Rolling it up, he walks towards his tent.

…

"You wanted to see me your Highness?" The Emperor motions Shang to rise.

"I did. I have a mission for you." The Emperor holds out a scroll to Shang, who takes with a slight bow.

"I will do my best Your Excellency…" The Emperor waves his hand, cutting off Shang's sentence.

"Before you accept this mission…you should read what it entails. I will expect your answer tomorrow." Shang bows and leaves.

…

Panting, Mulan sinks to the ground and her father looks down at her.

"Mulan." She looks up at her father ashamed and her father sits down beside her. "Mulan. Do not be so anxious. Time will pass and you will be the best of them all." Fa Zhou pats Mulan's shoulder and gets up. "We will continue tomorrow." He walks away and Mulan sighs, stands up, and goes to her room.

…

_This is the mission? What….what…no…no…I have no right to ask questions…but why…no Shang. This is not your business to know…only to do. Right. I will accept His Excellency's mission. _Shang rolls the scroll back up and leaves his tent.

…

"Mulan, I am going to the market to buy several things." Mulan moans through her door.

"Mmmmm."

]

Fa Li shakes her head. _I wonder if it is right to train her to become a woman warrior…but what else can we do? No one wants to marry her, she is only graceful when she practices, and I can not see her becoming a matchmaker…_Fa Li sighs and leaves.

…

"I'm coming." Mulan smoothes down her bed-hair and opens the door. Her eyes widen as does the person standing at the door. Both gasp and point at each other. Mulan recovers the fastest and reaches out to touch the other girls face. The other girl snaps out of it and does the same. The same thoughts run through both girl's head.

_Who is this other girl and why do we both look exactly the same?_

**FINALLY! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY! I finally had inspiration to this story! Hahahahaha! I am leaving you guys on a cliffhanger again bwahahahaha! Although in all seriousness, I do not know when another chapter will be posted…but I will guarantee that I will finish this story at some point! PLEASE BE PATIENT! And please give me your comments on how this is! I would really appreciate it! Thank you guys so much! BellaVision…hope you like this.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Shang looks around, looks down, looks around again, and looks down again. _Stupid map. It's at least 10 years old. Everything on it has changed. Where it says there is a village, there's a river. Where it says there's a large rocky pit, there's a rice paddy with workers. _Frustrated, Shang crumples the map up and throws it aside. After a moment of sitting in his saddle, calming himself, Shang sighs, dismounts, picks up the map, smoothes it out, and re-mounts his horse. _Guess I'll have to do the inevitable…but I hate it! _

…

Tea pours into a tea cup and Mulan places the teapot aside and sits down on the cushions on the floor. She watches as a graceful hand reaches out and picks up the tea cup. Mulan watches as the girl across from her sips demurely from the tea cup. _Wow! Everything she does is so graceful and…elegant. _The girl sets her tea cup down and settles herself. After a moment, Mulan, not able to stand it any more asks.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Taking her time, the girl responds.

"I am Ping Yi, daughter of The Emperor." Hearing this, Mulan is shocked. After a moment, she realizes to the full extent of who the girl is who is sitting in front of her. Almost immediately after she realizes this, she bows so her head touches the ground.

"Please forgive me Your Highness. Your servant is ignorant and was unaware. Please have mercy." Mulan hears nothing but the quietness of the country sounds surrounding the house. While she waits, bowed, she rapidly thinks. _The punishment for insulting a member of the royal family is nothing to take lightly. At best, I might get away with a whipping, who knows what I could get if she decides to really let me have it and let me serve as an example to others? _While these thoughts are going through her mind, Pin Yi is sitting across from the table from Mulan. She sits there quietly for a moment and lets her eyes wander to the state of the house. She smiles a faint smile and speaks.

"Why don't we forget all of this royal nonsense? Look up." Mulan does what she orders her to do, but keeps her eyes downcast. "You can look at me you know, I won't harm you." Mulan glances up at Ping Yi who smiles at her. "That's better. What is your name?" Mulan respond in a timid tone.

"Fa Mulan, Your Highness." Ping Yi sighs.

"Fa Mulan. You need not be so polite with me. Please call me Ping Yi from now on…" Mulan's eyes widen and Ping Yi continues. "I know this goes against all the rules you've learned about how the royal family is, but once you hear why I am here, alone, I think you will understand why I want this." Ping Yi pauses and then continues. I've always wanted to see the world for what it truly is. To find what is behind the parades, festivals, and all of the pompous acts people put on in front of us. I decided to leave the palace for a short time, alone, to discover what people are truly like and how they react to situations when they think that no one in authority is nearby. I want to see people's nature when they are able to freely express what they think, feel, and believe without having to sift through all the myriads of masks and fake words thrown to please. In short, I want to live a normal life for a period of time in order to make these observations." After this lengthy speech, Mulan sits back on her heals and, quite daringly asks.

"May I be so bold as to ask Your High…I mean…Ping…Yi…"

"Go ahead. Just treat me like a neighbor come to visit you." Mulan nods and continues.

"Why…why did you pick my house and why are you telling me all of this?" Mulan holds her breath

"Well, I actually cheated…" Mulan's eyebrows rise up questionably. "I asked if there was a place to stay where there was a girl of my age in the village and the villagers told me about several homes. But it was not until I asked them to describe each of the girls that I came to my decision…the other girls they described were…traditional…not that traditional is bad, quite the opposite, I think that we should strive to be what all our ancestors were and to respect our roots; but, I need a person to confide in, someone who is willing to be different; and when they described you, I heard contempt in their voice, and it intrigued me. I asked about you and I heard that you were being trained to be a woman warrior. I must say I was shocked, I had never heard of such a thing and I was anxious to meet you, and so…I came." Mulan looks at Ping Yi shocked. Ping Yi smiles and asks. "Oh, and can I just call you Mulan, it would make things a little easier." Mulan nods dumbly in agreement.

…

Pulling up to a stream, Shang gets off his horse, takes a pack off the saddle, lets his horse loose, and sits down. His horse wanders off to the stream and starts to drink. Shang opens the pack and takes out some packed food and starts to eat it. As he eats, he watches his horse go from drinking out of the stream to eating the grass growing beside it. Shang finishes eating and looks around. _Might as well stay here for the night, its growing dark fast and I would hate to get lost again. Besides, this is one of the best spots I've come across so far, it would be a waste to waste this for the unknown. _Shang stands up, walks over to his horse, and hobbles it so it can't wander off too far during the night. Shang makes his bed and when it gets dark, lies down. Before he goes to sleep, he thinks of the strange mission he has been sent on.

**Flashback:**

"You wanted to see me your Highness?" The Emperor motions Shang to rise.

"I did. I have a mission for you." The Emperor holds out a scroll to Shang, who takes with a slight bow.

"I will do my best Your Excellency…" The Emperor waves his hand, cutting off Shang's sentence.

"Before you accept this mission…you should read what it entails. I will expect your answer tomorrow."

**End of Flashback:**

_What is The Emperor doing this for? Does he not know the position this puts me in? Let alone…no…no…the reason he told me that he selected me was that he trusted me. No matter what anyone else may think, I have to carry it out…no matter what. _

**AH HA! I bet you guys thought I wasn't gonna post hehehehehe! Well…here you go! I wrote this all at one go and I made it a bit longer to make up for the long absence. I know I have a lot of excuses…but they're true. First off, I'm trying to decide where I'm going to go to college, secondly, I still have a life besides writing on the computer, and thirdly and MOST important one….drum roll….my flash drive "malfunctioned" and I lost all of my stories that were on it (thankfully none of them were extremely important…except for a fanfic about a Taiwanese band….sad face…but thankfully I had sent some of the stuff to a friend so I had part of it saved.) I seem to be having a lot of computer and electronic problems lately. Anyway…sorry about that, But I WILL FINISH IT **_**SOMEDAY**_**! LOL! Let me know what you think please!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Slowly ridding down the road on his horse, Shang looks around, hoping for someone to show up. After a few hours of riding, he finally comes to yet another rice paddy field. Reining in his horse, Shang takes a breath, and spurs his horse in the direction of the rice paddy field. Coming up to a worker, Shang reluctantly asks for directions.

…

"So, where are your parents?" Mulan smacks her own head.

"I forgot, my mother went to the market and my father is visiting a neighbor who recently broke his leg in an accident…" Suddenly Mulan gasps. "What are they going to think if they see you here?" Ping Yi smiles.

"I came prepared to fit into the crowd..." She frowns. "…but…I believe that I have come up against an unforeseen problem…" Ping Yi trails off and Mulan waits and finally asks.

"What? What problem?" Ping Yi looks at Mulan.

"You. I can't live here with you." Mulan frowns and then suddenly gets it.

"Oh, because we look alike." Ping Yi nods.

"If there was a slight resemblance that would be ok…but we look exactly like each other…and that would draw too much attention to my mission." Mulan nods in agreement.

…

"Mulan?" Fa Li looks all around the house. "Mulan?" Mulan comes bursting into the house, panting.

"Here!" Fa Li shakes here head.

"Where were you and can't you at least brush the leaves out of your hair?" Mulan's eyes roll up and she combs her fingers through her hair.

"I was outside…" Mulan trails off and her mom finishes for her.

"Practicing?" Mulan slowly nods her head and Fa Li sighs. "I would like it if you would only practice when one of us is here in case you get injured. Ok?" Mulan nods.

"Ok." _That was close…I'm not sure how mother would take to hearing about someone who looks exactly like me…but I'll have to ask someone if it is possible for two people from different families and everything to look exactly alike._

…

_Is this it? _Shang looks at a tiny unkempt house with an unkempt yard. Shang shrugs. _Oh well…it's not like it's the end of the world…I just have to stay here until my mission is over. _Shang dismounts and leads his horse into the small stable that is to the side of the house.

…

"Mulan?" Mulan pokes her head out of her room.

"Yes?" Fa Zhou smiles faintly.

"Mulan, your mother is out of eggs, could you go to town and get a dozen for her?" Mulan nods.

…

Walking down the road, Mulan thinks about Ping Yi and how it could be that there is someone that looks exactly like her. Suddenly, her thought process is interrupted by a voice.

"Ping Yi?" Mulan stops, turns, and looks towards the sound. Her eyes widen when she sees a farmer walking towards her. She quickly lowers her eyes, turns, and starts walking quickly away. "Ping Yi, wait up!" Mulan only quickens her pace and suddenly gasps when the guy grabs her arm and spins her around. The farmer looks straight into her face.

"Ping Yi…don't you recognize me?" Afraid, Mulan only lowers her eyes, tries to free her arm and says quietly.

"I'm…I'm afraid you're mistaken sir…I'm not Ping Yi." The farmer chuckles and lets go of Mulan.

"I guess there is no need to worry, you have your part down…" The farmer frowns. "…wait…aren't you mad that I followed you here?" Mulan glances up at him, looks down, and again says.

"I'm not Ping Yi." The farmer frowns.

"If you're not Ping Yi then I'm not Li Shang." Mulan's head jerks up and she says in surprise.

"Li?" Shang nods. "As in the Li family from this village? The one that sells eggs in town?" Shang laughs and shakes his head.

"No, Ping Yi. You've changed quickly. I didn't expect you to make jokes like that." Mulan just shakes her head and starts to walk away. Stunned, Shang stands still for a moment and then calls out. "Wait for me Ping Yi!" Mulan continues to walk. Catching up Shang walks beside her. Mulan comments.

"I've told you…I'm not Ping Yi." Shang laughs.

"Then…what name are you calling yourself?"

"My name is Fa Mulan." Shang just shakes his head and continues to walk beside Mulan.

"So…Ping…I mean…FA MULAN…where are you going?" Mulan continues to walk.

"To town." _Maybe he'll leave me alone once he really sees that I'm not Ping Yi. _"Why are you following me?" Shang grins.

"It just so happens that I also need to go to town." Mulan turns her eyes and looks straight at the road. _I want to see how well Ping Yi can keep up this masquerade as…what was the name? Oh, right, Fa Mulan.._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Walking into town, Mulan keeps glancing at the farmer. _Why does he insist on following me? Even if he does think I am Ping Yi...does he not realize how this could damage my reputation? At the very least I can stay as far away from him as possible. Once I get to town, He will realize that I am not Ping Yi and hopefully he will go on his way. _Mulan steps a bit away from Shang and continues to until they are on separate sides of the road. Mulan glances over and sees Shang looking at her. She quickly turns her head and lowers her eyes. Shang smiles and looks ahead.

_It is amazing, how did Ping Yi change from her self confidante, bullheaded, and bold self to this in just a few days? _Shang snaps out of his thoughts when he sees a farmer's wife walk up the path. Upon coming into calling distance, the woman calls out.

"Mulan! How are you?" Shang's eyes widen as Mulan answer's back.

"I am doing fine Mrs. Wang, and you?" Both begin to chat and Shang watches on. Finally, Mrs. Wang notices Shang standing there.

"…and who is this young farmer?" Mulan thinks fast.

"Uh…he is a distant far off third cousin that is here for a visit." Mrs. Wang nods

"Well, that is good…you know how people are around here..." Mulan nods and Mrs. Wang smiles. "…anyway, I should get going. Tell your mother hi for me. Ok?"

"I will. Walk safely." They wave goodbye and Mulan starts to walk into the town. Shang follows and observes how people greet Mulan as if they have known her since she was born. Impressed, Shang thinks as he walks a bit behind Mulan.

_I am impressed! I never knew that Ping Yi had the ability to fit into a place so quickly. She must have made some sort of announcement or something..._Shang frowns. _…but, how is it that everyone here knows her and seems to know her well?_

…

Mulan glances over her shoulder. _He is still there?_ She turns back around and continues to walk. _Is he going to follow me all the way back to my house? _

Shang walks behind Mulan, a good twenty-six feet or so, and looks around periodically and then at Mulan while questions hammer in his head. _Where is she going? Where is she staying? Why did she not bring a horse of her own to ride? Doesn't she know how dangerous this is? And why is she pretending to not recognize me? _Finally, Mulan stops, turns around, and looks Shang right in the eye. Startled, Shang stops in his tracks. Mulan bursts out in irritation.

"Will you quit following me." Shang gapes and manages to get some words out of his _mouth._

"B…b…but…I…I want to…to…make sure y…y…your safe." Mulan scoffs.

"Mister, I've lived here for my entire life…I could not be safer." Shang's eyes widen and then suddenly narrow.

"Ping Yi." Mulan's eyes widen at Shang's tone.

"Stop pretending that you don't know me." Mulan looks at Shang with a shocked expression as he moves closer to her and she suddenly thinks.

_I really wish Ping Yi hadn't made me swear to tell anyone about her…then I could've been rid of this guy a long time ago. _Suddenly, she realizes that she is alone with a guy who thought she was the princess and it seemed that he had just about had it with her. _Well…I think I've just about had it with him._

"Ping Yi…" Mulan interrupts.

"Listen. I don't know you…Mister…and frankly, you are freaking me out. So, if you know what is best for you…you will turn around and leave me be." Shang stops walking at the velocity of Mulan's words and blinks several times while his jaw slackens a bit. After Mulan is done, the both just stare at each other for a moment; Mulan in frustration and irritation and Shang in amazement. Without thinking, Shang steps forward and suddenly his world went black.

Alright! Here you guys go! I know it is taking me a very very very long long long long long time to post and to write….but at least I am continuing on writing little by little and not abandoning the story. Anyway, I got college figured out and now I am working on some other stories (I am actually writing a script of my own original characters and plotline as well a story with a group of three other people and another story with one other person. So…this is my new excuse for not writing very quickly on this story. BUT IT WILL GET DONE! Lol! Hope you guys enjoy this!

Chapter 8

Walking into town, Mulan keeps glancing at the farmer. Why does he insist on following me? Even if he does think I am Ping Yi...does he not realize how this could damage my reputation? At the very least I can stay as far away from him as possible. Once I get to town, He will realize that I am not Ping Yi and hopefully he will go on his way. Mulan steps a bit away from Shang and continues to until they are on separate sides of the road. Mulan glances over and sees Shang looking at her. She quickly turns her head and lowers her eyes. Shang smiles and looks ahead.

It is amazing, how did Ping Yi change from her self confidante, bullheaded, and bold self to this in just a few days? Shang snaps out of his thoughts when he sees a farmer's wife walk up the path. Upon coming into calling distance, the woman calls out.

"Mulan! How are you?" Shang's eyes widen as Mulan answer's back.

"I am doing fine Mrs. Wang, and you?" Both begin to chat and Shang watches on. Finally, Mrs. Wang notices Shang standing there.

"…and who is this young farmer?" Mulan thinks fast.

"Uh…he is a distant far off third cousin that is here for a visit." Mrs. Wang nods

"Well, that is good…you know how people are around here..." Mulan nods and Mrs. Wang smiles. "…anyway, I should get going. Tell your mother hi for me. Ok?"

"I will. Walk safely." They wave goodbye and Mulan starts to walk into the town. Shang follows and observes how people greet Mulan as if they have known her since she was born. Impressed, Shang thinks as he walks a bit behind Mulan.

I am impressed! I never knew that Ping Yi had the ability to fit into a place so quickly. She must have made some sort of announcement or something...Shang frowns. …but, how is it that everyone here knows her and seems to know her well?

…

Mulan glances over her shoulder. He is still there? She turns back around and continues to walk. Is he going to follow me all the way back to my house?

Shang walks behind Mulan, a good twenty-six feet or so, and looks around periodically and then at Mulan while questions hammer in his head. Where is she going? Where is she staying? Why did she not bring a horse of her own to ride? Doesn't she know how dangerous this is? And why is she pretending to not recognize me? Finally, Mulan stops, turns around, and looks Shang right in the eye. Startled, Shang stops in his tracks. Mulan bursts out in irritation.

"Will you quit following me." Shang gapes and manages to get some words out of his mouth.

"B…b…but…I…I want to…to…make sure y…y…your safe." Mulan scoffs.

"Mister, I've lived here for my entire life…I could not be safer." Shang's eyes widen and then suddenly narrow.

"Ping Yi." Mulan's eyes widen at Shang's tone.

"Stop pretending that you don't know me." Mulan looks at Shang with a shocked expression as he moves closer to her and she suddenly thinks.

I really wish Ping Yi hadn't made me swear to tell anyone about her…then I could've been rid of this guy a long time ago. Suddenly, she realizes that she is alone with a guy who thought she was the princess and it seemed that he had just about had it with her. Well…I think I've just about had it with him.

"Ping Yi…" Mulan interrupts.

"Listen. I don't know you…Mister…and frankly, you are freaking me out. So, if you know what is best for you…you will turn around and leave me be." Shang stops walking at the velocity of Mulan's words and blinks several times while his jaw slackens a bit. After Mulan is done, the both just stare at each other for a moment; Mulan in frustration and irritation and Shang in amazement. Without thinking, Shang steps forward and suddenly his world went black.


End file.
